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As we all know, Halloween Hallowe’en (let’s be correct here) is an opportunity to gorge on Mr Kipling’s wide variety of spooky-themed treats. The extent of his Halloween selection is simply staggering now. Given the volume of them I’ve consumed over the past few weeks, I regard myself as something of an expert in Halloween cakes. I am a particular fan of: Fiendish Fancies (you can’t quite beat the orangey icing (Paul Hollywood & Mary Berry would be proud of these sumptuous delicacies!!) Cinder Toffee Cake Bars (the taste of that cinder toffee is unparalleled).Frankenstein Fancies (I’ve only had one box, courtesy of my gf and Tescos – Sainsbury’s don’t sell them for some reason. I can’t help feeling that “Mr Kippers” as I affectionately call him, missed a trick here by not flavouring the lime green icing a err, lime flavour.) Shock and OrangeSlices (they’re coloured orange, but aren’t flavoured so). They break the other treats up rather nicely. Sainsbury’s Halloween Orange Flav…

From Smithsonian.com 26/10/12: In 2004, a team from [New York] decided to investigate the potential risks of pumpkin carving, comparing the threats posed by conventional kitchen knives with those of other tools specifically intended for pumpkins. “Even with optimal treatment, injuries from pumpkin carving accidents may leave people with compromised hand function,” they wrote. Common pumpkin-carving injuries come in a number of forms: hand punctures, resulting from instances where a knife is accidentally pushed through the pumpkin and contacts the opposite hand stabilizing it; and lacerations, caused by the cutting hand slipping off the knife handle and sliding across the blade. Because of these risks, many companies market pumpkin-specific carving tools, claiming that they’re safer than sharp knives. In order to find such evidence, they compared various carving instruments—a serrated kitchen knife, a plain knife and two brands of pumpkin-specific tools — by placing each one in the…

There’s a lot to be said for the personal touch when it comes to legal advice. Whilst some types of work can be more suited to high-volume, factory-style delivery of legal services (such as straightforward conveyancing and some uncomplicated personal injury claims) other, more complex matters are still more suited to that one-on-one bespoke service offered by a conventional law firm. And traditional high street firms of solicitors still play a vital role in delivering that. Even if the Solicitors Regulation Authority pulls its finger out and starts processing an appreciable number of ABS applications, it’s nice to know not everyone is itching to jump on the Tesco law bandwagon at the first opportunity. The conventional firm of solicitors is worth championing and its role in delivering modern legal services should be celebrated – not ridiculed. This video from [enter generic firm of solicitors – ahem] adopts a humorous approach to drive home the message that when it comes to legal se…

Guest PostThere have been yet more government cuts recently, and the latest in line to bare the brunt of the economic crisis in the UK is the Health and Safety Executive. As of April 2013, thousands of businesses will not have to undergo compulsory health and safety inspections, unless they are considered to be high-risk workspaces, such as food preparation areas or construction sites. This effectively gives thousands of businesses the green light to cut corners without consequence; until injuries or fatalities occur, that is. Ministers claim that the current checks simply aren’t feasible in the current economic climate, costing the Government millions of pounds each year. They added that health and safety checks also place an unnecessary burden on businesses. The new rules will see around 3,000 regulations no longer enforced by the government, and cutting the bureaucracy will save millions of pounds, which the government says could be better spent elsewhere. However, this will und…

From the Metro Friday 19th October 2012*: Well - it seems that desperation abounds in the legal profession. Really? I’d never have thought it. It seems that the sender might be in need of having a few myths debunked:All Most law firms are insane; All lawyers without exception must sell their soul to the devil (it’s a pre-requisite for a practising certificate); Announcing yourself as desperate probably won’t do you any favours, but hey, recruiters sometimes prize honesty. I think I might have overheard the sender of this particular text talking on a mobile phone on a train a few weeks ago. (If it was that individual, here’s a piece of advice: calling the SRA on a packed train giving out all of your personal details to all and sundry within earshot is a bit of an own goal if you ask me. The fact you had to call them back after passing through a long tunnel caused the call to drop simply worsened the crime. The amount of people who seem to think they’re the only one’s in the c…

Finally! A firm specialising in medical malpractice (and particularly botched cosmetic surgery procedures) who can properly sympathise with their clients. Our dedicated team of lawyers are all the victims of overzealous (or, all too often, blatantly negligent) surgeons who have wrought havoc on their lips, noses and in a couple of cases, jahooblies. It might seem tough to recruit lawyers who have suffered at the hands of the medically negligent, but given the unwavering vanity of many lawyers in practice today, it’s perhaps not as hard as you might think. (The managing partner turned a blind eye to the recruitment policy – just think of it as a dose of positive discrimination). Yep - all of our fee earners have “had work done.” Heck, some of the ladies are “pulled so tight they’ve got to cross their legs to smile”. So if you’ve been left with a couple of pick ‘n’ mix bananas for lips or laughing tackle that a mackerel would be proud of, our lawyers are the ones to turn to. What …

From the Telegraph 03/10/12: An advert for a Harvey Nichols sale has escaped censure despite attracting 105 complaints that it pictured people who had apparently wet themselves with excitement. The campaign for the upmarket department store featured well-dressed women and a man each with a wet stain in their groin area accompanied by text stating: "The Harvey Nichols sale. Try to contain your excitement."Oooh. Wet crotch! Personally, I think the lady pictured is far more likely to have pis*ed herself at the outrageous prices charged by Harvey Nicks rather than anything else. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 94 complaints that the ad was offensive for implying that the people had wet themselves with excitement while 29 said the ads would cause distress and serious offence to people with bladder problems.Nah – I’m sure they’ve got a good sense of humour. They’d have to. Harvey Nichols said it had attempted to capture excitement about the sale in a light-hea…

Jimmy so-vile(alleged) paedophile Saville at his imitable worst on HIGNFY. Never have so many warning signs been heeded by so few. If only we’d known the half of it at the time Disturbingly honest How’s about a bit o’ how’s ya father…

Yes, they’re back. Just when you thought it was safe. Here’s a classic example from the back page of the Metro (no less!) on 04/10/12. Heck, I even spotted another one on a billboard at the train station tonight.A touch flippant, too. More akin to the superb range of ads we’re all familiar with thanks to John’s antics over at Family Lore.Nice job!

From Goods to a Good Life by Prof. Madhavi Sunder examines how, for the greater good, hard-edged commercialism in intellectual property law can (and should) be tempered by a healthy dose of social conscience and culture. From the very outset, the author recognises the enormity of her task; challenging the centuries-entrenched focus of commercial endeavour that lies at the heart of international IP law sounds like an impossible task. Still, it a task Sunder takes on with gusto. She poses an uncomfortable series of questions in which the value and composition of a “good life” are broken down and micro-analysed. Many readers may find the observations made by the author painful. The shallow materiality of the typical western way of life can be a difficult truth to acknowledge. Sunder’s arguments focus on the need for intellectual property to be reconceptualised so that it takes better account of a plurality of stakeholders, social and cultural factors and various other 21st century con…

From the Metro (the hardcopy version – sorry I’ve forgotten the date… the cutting has been lying on my desk for the past week or so and I couldn’t find the same story online): Nearly nine in ten doctors believe most of their patients exaggerate whiplash symptoms to increase insurance claims. NO?!?!?!?!D’you think so? I wonder why they might do that. Doctors surveyed over the summer said they thought many patients who go to them with neck sprain injuries as a result of a car accident are fraudulent. When there’s a sprain, there’s a claim. The survey, by car insurer AXA, found that doctors had seen a substantial increase in whiplash patients in the last five years. Most felt the government should crack down on the practice and find a more rigorous way of assessing injuries to control insurance claims by drivers.How about getting the suspected patient to take part in a test – Jeremy Beadle style – to see how bad their neck injury really is? What if, when sat in the chair opposite th…

Michael is a practising lawyer and accomplished cynic from the UK. He’s been blogging since his student days and can’t quite bring himself to hang up his blogging gloves just yet (they’re fingerless gloves, obviously).
He loves fussing over trivialities, seeking comfort from repetitive activities, idly reminiscing and moaning about things.